NBA Fines Knicks $50,000 Over Spat With Daily News

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — The NBA fined the New York Knicks $50,000 on Monday for violating media rules by not allowing the New York Daily News to cover one of the team’s news conferences.

The Knicks held a news conference on Friday to introduce their new draft picks, sending out an advisory announcing the details to some media that cover the team but not to the Daily News. The Knicks have feuded with the tabloid for years over what the team feels is negative coverage, and Friday was not the first time the Daily News had been excluded from an event.

The Professional Basketball Writers Association and the Associated Press Sports Editors both issued statements after Friday’s news conference condemning the team.

The PBWA has issued a statement in response to the New York Knicks' ban of New York Daily News journalists from a news conference to introduce the Knicks' 2019 draft picks: https://t.co/W6uYvrZzZK

The NBA added that the Knicks have agreed to comply with league rules regarding equal access for the media in the future.

“The Knicks acknowledge that we did not comply with the NBA’s media policy, and made an error in interpreting Friday’s announcement as an invite-only event,” the team said in a statement. “As we do throughout the year, we have and will continue to provide access to credentialed media as per the league’s policy.”